Generally flowers are grouped together by variety or name and packaged in groups of a predetermined number and bound together at the bottom portion of the stems and wrapped in cellophane. This is the prior art method for arranging a number of cut flowers and to date is the most common and efficient method for grouping flowers together. The difficulty with wrapping flowers in cellophane is the flowers do not come in the same shape or form and require certain elements in place in order to maintain their quality. The different shapes of flowers are determined by the bloom on the top of the flower, for example, some flowers bloom in the horizontal direction, whereas other bloom more predominantly in the vertical direction. This makes the requirements of floral packaging and transportation more difficult, particularly when flowers with a vertical bloom are being packaged using simple wrap cellophane as is currently done. Flowers with a horizontal bloom packaged in the current manner are often damaged and become unsaleable. Therefore, it is desirable to have a method of packaging cut flowers, particularly those that predominantly bloom in the horizontal direction that preserves and protects the bloom of the flower during shipping and handling.
The present invention is particularly useful for packaging of long stem flowers having little or no leaf, in particular varieties like Gerberas, Anthuriums, Arum Lilies and the like but can also be used with other varieties.